chatGPT's opinion on PD - Simple and wise

[Xenos]

Unfortunately, there is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but there are several treatments available that can help manage the symptoms and improve quality of life. Here are some of the most common approaches to treating Parkinson's disease:

Medications: There are several types of medications that can help manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, including levodopa, dopamine agonists, and MAO-B inhibitors.

Surgery: In some cases, surgery may be recommended to help manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. For example, deep brain stimulation (DBS) involves implanting electrodes into specific areas of the brain to help regulate movement.

Physical and Occupational Therapy: Physical therapy can help improve mobility, balance, and coordination, while occupational therapy can help with daily activities, such as dressing and grooming.

Speech Therapy: Parkinson's disease can affect speech, making it difficult to communicate. Speech therapy can help improve speaking abilities and make it easier to communicate.

Exercise: Regular exercise, such as swimming, yoga, and tai chi, can help improve mobility, flexibility, and balance, and may also have a positive impact on mood and quality of life.

Support Groups: Joining a support group can provide a sense of community and a source of emotional support for people with Parkinson's disease and their loved ones.

It's important to work with a healthcare professional to determine the best treatment plan for your specific needs and symptoms. With the right combination of treatments, it's possible to manage the symptoms of Parkinson's disease and maintain a good quality of life.

[crewmanwhite]

While there is no "cure" for Parkinson's (and there is no real "cure" for any disease - see my book), there are ways to reverse the symptoms progress and become symptom-free (i.e. recover).

We can discover originating causes for 95% of those diagnosed and then develop strategies to reverse the illness process caused by those originating causes or triggers.

It isn't rocket science, but it is science with many tears of research to back the causes and reversal.

[Ramtops]

Sorry but I don't think it's a good idea to use Chatbot here.

[slapdasch4]

I got a note a note asking for some comments related to DBS. What follows is a description written by my sister and myself related to her husband, Steve;

We spent much of this week at Cedars Sinai hospital consulting with the neurology staff.  It was not clear to us whether DBS ( Deep Brain Stimulation) would help Steve's Parkinson's symptoms, despite all of our research, and the months we have spent wrestling with this tough decision. This message is to let all of you know what we learned, and how we will go forward.DBS is done by a team consisting of the local neurologist, the Cedars movement disorder specialist, the Cedars neurosurgeon, and the Cedars neuropsychiatrist.  We were favorably impressed with the Docs.  Steve had a grueling 3 hour on/off test, in which the doc observed him when his meds were, and when they were not, working-- measuring the differences in his gait, balance, muscle rigidity in each state.  One of the things that DBS does very well, we were informed, is to smooth out motor fluctuations.  Now they had our interest!  At present, Steve endures huge motor fluctuations, going from fairly mobile to frozen in mere minutes... and that a number of times in the course of a day.We had a number of questions for the movement disorder guy.  Were the 3 major PD symptoms -rigidity, slowness, and tremor - ALL targeted in DBS?  We learned that the main target is usually 1 of the 3, but that the others can be influenced positively by the same procedure.  What about the long-term effects (benefits?) of DBS?  The answer was complicated, but our sense is that because most patients are able to take less medicine after DBS, the side effects are lessened, and the progression of the disease is somewhat slowed.  What is considered a "successful" procedure?  The doc was quite emphatic that expectations of outcomes are a major component in the whole process. Rather than reversal or elimination of symptoms, the best candidates for the procedure are those hoping for some improvement, including a reduction in the kinds and amounts of pills.  He complimented Steve on his measured, realistic take on the likely outcome.The neurosurgeon addressed our questions, too.  This particular doc has done about 1000 DBS surgeries over a 15 year period.  He, too, spoke of how effectively motor fluctuations can be smoothed, and said it was reasonable to expect that Steve will routinely enjoy 6 hour periods of feeling good, because the meds will give him such increased bang after surgery.  Wow!  That sounds sheerly wonderful to us.He also walked us through the mechanics of the operation , which is actually 3 separate surgeries.  Will Steve be awake or asleep?  Both:1. A frame is put on his head (asleep).2. He gets a CAT scan (awake)3. An incision is made (asleep)4. He is awakened so surgeon can see and discuss what happens when leads are placed variously (tremor disappears)Two leads will be placed in 2 separate surgeries.  He will have the first placed, wait one week, and then go back for the second to be placed/ same drill.  One week after that, the battery will be implanted.  Too weeks later, the battery will be turned on.We have completed all of the preliminaries except for the neuropsychiatric evaluation, which is scheduled for Nov. 7.  We expect to begin the surgeries in December, and to finish in time to ring in the new year.To be sure, to go ahead with the surgery is a decision we have not taken lightly.  In fact, we originally approached this whole question with a great degree of skepticism.  However, weighing all of the information- in particular the fact that Steve's overall quality of life has deteriorated to a point where getting through a day is sheerly difficult- some fairly radical decision had to be made.  The DBS procedure is the best we have; at the present time, there appear to be no reasonable alternatives.

[Ghmac]

I am now reading this post in February - how did things go?